The brief
The Scirocco's windscreen washers had stopped working properly, no spray on the screen, just a weak trickle that ran down the bonnet, and the owner had heard the pump strain when he pulled the stalk. He brought it in, a screen you can't clean is a visibility problem. When the washers won't spray, it's one of three things: the reservoir is low or cracked, the washer pump has failed, or the nozzles are blocked. The pump sits at the base of the reservoir and is meant to push fluid up to the nozzles with enough pressure to fan it across the glass. When it wears, it can't make that pressure, so you get the trickle and the straining noise instead of a proper spray. The reservoir was full and intact, so the pump was the suspect.
The diagnosis
The reservoir held fluid and showed no cracks or leaks, and the lines were clear, but the washer pump was running weak, drawing current and barely moving fluid, so it was the failed part. The nozzles had also collected some grime that needed clearing while everything was apart. That's a pump replacement plus a nozzle clean. A worn washer pump only gets weaker, and you don't want it quitting in heavy rain, so it was getting changed.
The work
The old washer pump was pulled from the base of the reservoir, the seal area cleaned, and a new genuine VW-spec pump fitted with a fresh grommet so it didn't weep. The nozzles were cleared and aimed, the lines reconnected, and the system run to confirm a proper fan of fluid across the screen on both passes. A quick check confirmed strong, even spray and a dry reservoir base.
The outcome
Strong, even washer spray across the screen, the nozzles aimed properly, and no leak at the reservoir. The Scirocco went home with clear vision on demand again. A weak washer pump is easy to live with until the day you really need it, so swapping it and clearing the nozzles got the whole system working the way it should.